Under A Scarlet Moon
by keeper-of-mauve-paradise
Summary: Sure I've kissed... I've kissed lots of times. She swallowed nervously, hoping he didn't sense her obvious anxiety. Oh really, he moved in closer, hooking her chin with his finger forcing her to look into his piercing eyes, Prove it...


Disclaimer: I don't own any Inuyasha characters, I don't own anything 

Under A Scarlet Moon

**Chapter one: **_Reminiscence_

"Sesshomaru- Sama!" Though he was just a puny toad demon, he was rather hard to keep up with. "Sesshomaru- Sama!"

She would have called out her demon father's name as well had she not been gasping for air each step she took. "J… Jaken- Sama." She pleaded, wanting so badly to slow down. It was true that she so desperately wanted to reach 'him,' he who took her in after losing her family. But never before had she run so long and hard. "Keep up with me Rin."

The little girl swallowed a dry lump. She had always, beat Jaken in their races, and thought she was the absolute master of speed. But after the short battle with Naraku, she was proved otherwise. She's never seen Jaken this anxious to get to Sesshomaru. 'Was her demon father hurt that bad?'

She wouldn't know. Jaken always told her to stay with Ah Un, the two- headed horse, while he set out to fight by Sesshomaru's side. 'No, he can't be that injured, Sesshomaru is tremendously strong and influential.' But being the dim child that she is, thinking wasn't a customary thing of doing. The toad demon, and endearing little girl continued to run progressively through the thick western woods.

It wasn't until Jaken's poor demon senses screamed at him, until they stopped. An uneasy silence blanketed over the two standing traumatized in the middle of substantial bushes. It befuddled Rin… "Jaken… sama?" She whispered. But was immediately hushed by the tense toad.

She held her breath… every muscle in her body stiffened … all the while she tried her best not to make the slightest sound.

"Gn! Argh!"

Rin felt her whole body shudder at the sound of a deep asphyxiating sound. Her eyes drooped looking to Jaken for answers, but the second her eyes lowered.

The toad had already thrown himself through the bushes, belling flopping the ground on the other side. He lifted himself agitatedly, "Sesshoma…!" His toad-like-eyes grew saucer wide at the scene before him.

Her hair was being pulled at from all sides, her kimono ripped in several places, and she was being poked at by the branches, she growled angrily at the tangled mess she got herself into. And it was all just to get through the bushes to keep up with Jaken.

"Um, Jaken- sa..MA!" It seemed as though every single twig holding the girl back from her destination. Snapped all at once, sending her head-on into the dirt. She was quite astounded when Jaken didn't throw a… 'Get up stupid girl,' remark at her.

She sat herself up while coughing up some dirt. Then took her time to stand, dust off her kimono, turned and smile to ask Jaken where they were heading. But was abruptly cut off at the sight of her demon father, bloody, bruised, and weak leaned up against a tree…

-

The fuming, smoldering, hot sun did a fine job on eating away at Japan's beautiful trees, including an exhausted miko girl. Though she was both physically and mentally fatigued. She didn't, not even for a second, drop her composure.

The wicked sun cast excruciating waves of heat down on Kagome's small frame. Naraku smirked, "getting tiered so soon? Well that's what you come to expect from a human…" She grimaced, while trying her best to ignore the heat exhaustion her body was going through.

Not once did she lower her bow, this was her last arrow. If she missed, or hit in the wrong place, Naraku would surely kill both her, and the young kitsune hiding behind a nearby boulder.

Shippo peeked out from around his shelter. Never had he seen Kagome stand so strong. She looked serious, not as nearly as serious as… say someone like Sesshomaru. But she came close. Her expression showed pure concentration, focusing all her energy at this one shot against the potent Naraku.

Damned their luck. Kagome's bike had rolled down a hill, that being all because of Inuyasha and his hot temper.

So she, and the little kitsune headed down to retrieve the bike. That's when they ran into Naraku…

The kitsune's claws flexed nervously against the boulder. If Kagome hadn't yelled at Inuyasha for knocking her bike down the hill, he wouldn't have ran off to pout about it and would be here!

For a split second, Shippo looked over his shoulder up the hill they came down. _Inuyasha must have ran off pretty far to not have picked up Naraku's scent…_

"Aah!"

Shippo jumped at the sound of a high -pitched scream, whipping his head in Kagome's direction he witnessed the young girl fall back. "Kagome!" The small kitsune leaped onto the boulder, which sheltered him. His whole body grew numb. _What do I do? _Without a second thought the little kitsune dashed out onto the battlefield.

He wasn't at all aware of the powerful enemy watching him run to his semi- mother. All he was conscious of was his dear friend lying unconsciously.

When he reached her he immediately buried his head into her side. "Kagome!" he screamed, but was interrupted at the sound of a deep laugh from behind. "Pathetic fool." Shippo did his best to look through teary eyes up at the massive creature. He wished he looked strong, he wished he showed no fear.

But he knew he hadn't a chance against Naraku. Kagome is just barely stronger then him and she failed. "Oh…" Shippo choked as Naraku's piercing eyes drilled into Shippo's innocent ones. "Oh… Kagome!" Shippo buried his face into her school shirt again. He admitted that he was weak and he hated not being strong. Before, he courageously stood against danger to protect Kagome and his friends. But knowing that nobody was around to back him up… what can a little kitsune do?

Naraku stared down at the two.

_That girl was a dilemma… I sensed the power within her… even after being struck down _

_by my tentacle she still breathes… Why waste my time on that kitsune brat… Shikon no _

_tama is complete… _Naraku's eyes feasted upon a deep cave in the side of a cliff. _That'll _

_do… _Without second thought of the girl, or kitsune, he hurried to his objective.

Even after Naraku left, the little kitsune still remained tense. "Kagome," he shook her but she didn't respond. "Shippo," a sharp and familiar called from a far. Shippo's spirits lifted at the sound of that voice. "Inuyasha!"

The Hanyou didn't hear the sound of an excited kitsune's tone as his eyes reached Kagome's unconscious form. He gasped "Kagome!"

Within seconds Inuyasha was knelt next to her gathering her in his arms.

The kitsune's heart skipped a beat at the scene of his Hanyou friend holding an unconscious Kagome. "Shippo," again Shippo shuddered at the sound of familiar voices. "Miroku! Sango! Kirara!"

The demon exterminator welcomed Shippo with a smile as he ran toward the two perched on the cat- demon's back.

Shippo didn't miss the small gasp Sango made at the sight of Kagome. "Kagome- Chan…" Inuyasha growled furiously, "Naraku's scent…"

Shippo's heart raced. "Naraku attacked us!" The statement completely threw Inuyasha off guard. "What! That bastard!" He spat venomously. "Which way did he go?"

The kitsune shrugged feeling ashamed that he was useless. He would never admit that he wasn't paying any attention to where Naraku was headed, even though that was the truth.

Inuyasha tasted the air with his nose.

_Naraku's scent has changed… Naraku… What are you planning? _Inuyasha crouched, preparing himself to shoot off the ground. It was faint, but he most definitely didn't miss Naraku's sordid scent, in the breeze. Inuyasha's amber eyes dragged along the cliff side until they reached a cave. His brows knitted together, "_Naraku…_" With nothing more to say, Inuyasha leapt into the air.

"Sango, take Kagome to Kaede!" Before the demon exterminator could respond to the gritty Hanyou, he was already long gone.

-

The moonlight's spotlight could have been shinning down on anyone in the villages or possibly hikers in the woods. But tonight the moonlight cast it's handsome silver rays on the young warrior girl staring despondently at where her demon father disappeared.

It was here in this very place, she witnessed the leave of Sesshomaru's soul.

Rin lifted her hand and placed it on the tree … Aishiteru she whispered. Her eyes closed only briefly. Remembering the pain of her past always resulting in tears. But for now, she did her best to contain her usual stoic composure.

Like her demon father, she tried to stay as quite and focused as possible as she recalled her painful memories…

-

"Sesshomaru- Sama," She was surprised at just how raspy her voice was.

It was as if the pain inside impinged at how she sounded, while speaking her lord's name. She dropped lifelessly to her knees. There she sat next to him, speechless. She remembered him being bruised before but… not this bad.

And though he was quite injured, he never failed to drop his godly like equanimity. The toad demon's mouth hung wide open, watching as his lord occasionally lolled his head against the tree he was leaned against. "Ja…ken…" Rin gasped at the sound of her lord's strangled voice.

His eyes were tightly closed, but that didn't mean he didn't know the human girl and toad servant were there by his side. "Yes… Sesshomaru- Sama?" Both toad and girl watched nervously as Sesshomaru struggled to speak. A thin line of blood trickled out from the corner of his mouth, sending chills down Rin's spine. "Sesshomaru…" It was then Sesshomaru's eyes flung open with a sharp gasp… "_Rin…_" he whispered as death claimed him…

-

Inuyasha slid his best foot forward preparing himself to attack whatever lied hidden in the dark. A deep chortle caused his sensitive ears to twitch. "Gn. Naraku!" The hanyou's loud and demanding voice rang against the raw cave walls.

He growled.

"Inuyasha… Leaving the miko girl all alone?" Inuyasha frowned, _Miko girl? _Naraku never referred Kagome as a miko girl. He knew she was in fact the reincarnation of an extremely powerful miko but…

"Huh…"

Naraku scoffed at the dumbfounded expression on the Hanyou's face. "What did you _do_ to her?" The other, hideous hanyou didn't miss the warning in Inuyasha's voice. "Were your intentions truly to come and question me? Or kill me…"

"You don't have to tell me that!" Inuyasha jumped up with a fully transformed sword in his hands. It was at that second, Inuyasha was blinded by a flashing purple light. "Gn!" He did a chaotic back flip, midair, landing in a crouch.

"What the fuck… that was…"

Naraku hissed, "thanks to your brother I finally got the last shard. And now to complete Shikon no tama…" Inuyasha's heart raced… "No," he whispered.

-

Kagome lay unconscious. From where Shippo was sitting she looked as if she was in some sort of deep sleep. Funny how he remembers it…

Kagome had screamed from being hit. She was hit from Naraku's tentacle, he stuck the tentacle right through Kagome's side… the same place where Shikon no tama reappeared. Yet, looking at the girl now, she is in perfect condition. There is no gash, bruise, not even a single scratch on her. The only visible injury was the already healed scar on her side where the Shikon no tama popped out from.

"I suppose its some sort of spell." The wise monk stated as he sat criss-cross behind the unconscious body. "Houshi-sama?" Sango wasn't a fool she knew the monk was tapped within Kagome's body trying to read her soul.

Her point was clearly proven correct when he opened his eyes. A pure look of exhaustion stamped to his face. It was what you come to expect. Kagome, after all, was an unknown sort of miko whom everyone assumed had very little power. The only one anyone cared about was the fact she was able to sense the shards. "What to do now…" Shippo said, nearly jaded like. As if to answer his question the wise monk, Miroku stood, his purple robes swaying from side to side as he did so. "Sango, we better go find Inuyasha. Shippo… you stay and protect Kagome."

Before the fox could protest both monk and demon exterminator hosted themselves onto Kirara's back. Sango clicked her tongue, "Up Kirara." And off they went…

-

The boy looked like a foreigner to him, or possibly an oddly dressed monk? He looked about mid teens, dressed in brown, blue, and green… he looked like some sort of woodlander. His eyes piercing greenish gray eyes, red long hair pulled back into a high pony- tail, and a gloomy expression to his face… But no matter, a boy is just a boy.

"Where are you from?" He asked, though he didn't really care. All he was interested in was where such an unusual man came from. The man busied away at gathering wood acting as though he was too hectic to care if the strangely dressed man answered or not. "Are you a drifter?" The redhead dipped his head slightly to the right… "Something like that…" his voice was surprisingly deep for his age.

The man followed the Redhead's gaze around the cave. "You know… this is where it all happened. Years ago there use to be such thing as evil powerful beings and demons…" Shippo took a step forward, his eyes burning at the painful memories of this cave. "Yes… I know."

-

_Rise… that's it… Rise I say, rise if you wish to protect your dear Inuyasha…_

Kagome's eyes squeezed closed tighter then relaxed. _Kikyo? Is that you…? _

_Rise up Kagome, save Inuyasha… hear Shikon no tama calling, go to it…_

The bored kitsune sighed then sighed again. Watching Kagome would be a whole lot better if they could share a conversation. "Hey Miroku, you'd better hurry up and get back here or…" The kitsune jumped to his feet at the sight of Kagome hovering above the floor only slightly.

"Kagome?"

The girl remained hovering above the floor, her perfect face still completely lifeless. That's when… her eyes flew open revealing a deep bright and glowing blue hue. Shippo squeaked in terror. "Kagome!"

-

**Reviewers, thank you all for taking the time reading this. Well… I gotta know if this fic is a keeper or not, so please review your opinion. Oh lol and if some parts confused you, that's because… well lets just say this first chapter is meant to be confusing. PLEASE LEAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS! I'll most definitely answer all questions and respond to comments… ya ya flamers are welcome.**

**-**

**keeper of paradise**


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